A Billionaire's Love

Chapter 12

"What do you mean?" Chloe’s voice held a tone of cautious curiosity as she hovered near Dylan's office door. Her brow furrowed, and her hands clutched the things she carried. As his secretary, she was used to getting straight answers from him—especially when something felt off. Today, everything felt off.

Dylan didn’t look up from the paperwork spread across his desk. He hated how much he needed to control himself right now. The office was quiet except for the ticking of a wall clock that seemed to count down his seconds to respond.

"It's nothing," Dylan finally said, his voice clipped, dismissive. He didn’t mean for it to sound so sharp, but he had to shut down the conversation quickly. He knew that Chloe was perceptive, and if he wasn’t careful, she’d start asking more questions—questions he had no intention of answering.

Chloe wasn’t satisfied, but she knew when to back off. Working for Dylan had taught her that. There were times when his silence spoke louder than his words. This was one of those moments. “Alright,” she murmured, stepping back from the door, but her eyes stayed fixed on him a second longer, searching. Something wasn’t right. She knew it.

Once Chloe left the room, Dylan leaned back in his chair and exhaled, staring blankly at the papers before him. His mind, however, was far from work. It was consumed with the accident.

An accident no one could ever know about.

His fiancée, Kaye, lay in a hospital bed, still unconscious, while doctors assured him she was stable, but there were no signs of when she might wake. The image of her, pale and motionless, haunted him. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was her broken body in that car—an image that tore at him from the inside out.

And then there was Aki.

Dylan clenched his fists as he thought about the woman responsible for all of this. Aki had caused the accident, but Dylan couldn’t let him go to the police. That wasn’t an option. Not yet. No one knew Aki was involved. No one even knew there had been an accident. That had been the plan all along—to keep everything under wraps. The media hadn't caught wind of it, and Dylan had used his influence to make sure the police hadn’t gotten involved either.

But it wasn’t out of compassion for Aki. Not at all.

No, Dylan had something much darker in mind.

Aki was at his residence now, under the close watch of Tirang and Epyong, his two helpers. For now, Aki was safe, but only for as long as Dylan wanted her to be.

Dylan’s jaw tightened. He had to maintain control of the situation, and that meant keeping Chloe, Kaye, and everyone else in the dark. Kaye especially. When she woke—if she woke—she couldn’t know what really happened or maybe she had to, but she couldn’t know that Dylan had wanted to punish Aki so badly that he let this whole thing spiral out of control.

The accident hadn’t been planned, but Dylan has nothing in particular from stopping this. He knew that. It had been an argument that escalated, and now Kaye was paying the price. But still, that didn’t absolve Aki of her guilt. Aki had been behind the wheel. Aki had lost control.

And now, Aki would suffer for it.

Dylan stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the city skyline, his hands in his pockets. The sun was setting, casting a golden hue over the buildings, but all he could think about was what he had to do next.

He had to make sure no one ever found out about the accident. Not the media, not the police, and certainly not Chloe. It was crucial that he kept her out of it. She was loyal, but everyone had a breaking point, and if Chloe knew too much, she could become a liability.

He glanced at his phone. There were no new messages from the hospital. No updates. He hated waiting.

He had to see Kaye again. He needed to be by her side, to remind himself why he was doing all of this. But he couldn’t go yet. There was something he had to take care of first.

Dylan dialed a number and waited as the line rang.

“Tirang,” Dylan said when the call connected.

“Sir.” Tirang’s voice was steady, but Dylan could hear the underlying tension. Tirang and Epyong had been tasked with keeping Aki under control, but Dylan knew how volatile the situation was. Aki wasn’t exactly cooperating.

“How is she?” Dylan asked, his voice low.

“Still quiet. For now,” Tirang replied. “But she’s starting to ask questions. She wants to know what’s going to happen to her.”

Dylan’s fingers tightened around the phone. “Tell her nothing. She doesn’t need to know anything.”

“And if she tries to run?”

“She won’t get far.” Dylan’s voice was cold, calculated. “Just keep an eye on her. I’ll deal with her soon.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then Tirang said, “Understood, Sir.”

Dylan hung up and stared at his phone for a moment longer. His heart was pounding, but his expression remained impassive. He couldn’t afford to let his emotions get the better of him. Not now.

He turned away from the window and sat back down at his desk. The weight of the situation was heavy on his shoulders, but he knew what had to be done.

No one could ever know about the accident.

Not the media, not the police, and certainly not Kaye.

He would protect her at all costs, even if it meant burying the truth. Even if it meant doing things that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

But as he sat there, staring blankly at the paperwork in front of him, a small part of him wondered if he was already too far gone. If keeping the secret would destroy him before it destroyed anyone else.

The phone rang again, this time with a number from the hospital. Dylan’s heart jumped, and he answered immediately, hoping for good news about Kaye.

But the voice on the other end was somber.

“She’s still stable, but there’s been no change. And please be here at any time today. I have important things to discuss with you.”

Dylan’s grip on the phone tightened as he nodded, though the doctor couldn’t see it. “Alright. I'll be there. Keep me informed,” he said before hanging up.

He closed his eyes for a moment, pushing down the wave of helplessness that threatened to overtake him. He needed Kaye to wake up. He needed her to be okay. He needed her to forgive him, though he wasn’t sure he deserved it.

Because deep down, Dylan knew that while Aki had caused the accident, she was the one who had set everything in motion.

And now, it was up to him to make sure no one else ever found out.